Storm-Swept Coast Gears Up for Holiday

A day after Hurricane Earl pummeled Florida’s Gulf Coast, residents scurried to be ready for what they hope will be the next storm: Labor Day tourists. Under picture-perfect skies that belied the savage winds that closed roads, damaged houses and stranded 150 residents on St. George Island, Realtor Kristen Shelby said the storm has had little effect on bookings. Hurricane Earl blew ashore across the Florida panhandle, belting the Gulf Coast with 80-mph winds, driving rain and a tidal surge up to 10 feet above normal, flooding coast roads and waterfront homes.